Jesse's favourite things.

Packages don't often arrive in brown paper, tied up with string anymore, but we still think they are Jesse's favourite things. Lately he has been the very happy recipient of two beautiful packages - one from the United Kingdom, and one from Australia. He certainly looks pleased to find that he has mail.

Melanie in Australia made Jesse this wonderful quilt. Its elephant themed, and very sturdy - perfect for play on the floor. It has fun textures, and even has his name carefully sewn onto it. And for Jesse, having his own familiar quilt beneath him will help build the confidence he needs to try new things. Actually, it looks like it could be working already - he has been up to some pretty funny tricks as he tries it out. Not too bad for a little boy who used to sit in one place, too afraid to take a chance on moving.

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Jesse's cute outfit was also new this week - from a parcel sent by Cas from the UK. He looks great in it too - he is such a handsome little boy.

 We are so thankful to Melanie, Cas and everyone who shows love to our children by sending parcels, donating, sharing their stories and sponsoring their cots. We can't say often enough - your love makes a difference. These children know they are special, and it shows in their smiles and their sparkling eyes. What's more, people around us are moved by the kindness shown to our children. Each gift, each donation, every minute of time given - all these things shout out to the world that these children matter. Together we are changing children's lives, and changing hearts too!

Daphne

We have introduced some of our volunteers from other countries, but we'd like you to meet some of our local staff too. These amazing women are the ones at the front line - caring for our kids day by day. They should all have degrees in Applied Practical Love - they do it  so well.

This beautiful lady is Daphne, who has been with us since we opened here. She originally joined our team as a cleaner, and she worked diligently to keep the Home looking spick and span. Each day, Daphne had a lunch  break - time for her to relax, sit down, call her friends or maybe even take a walk. But Daphne never chose to do any of those things - she always spent her lunch break cuddling babies! She especially loved to scoop up tiny Angel and give her a little extra loving.

Over time we discovered that Daphne had another skill - cooking. Now she still does housekeeping, but she also cooks for the children. She loves to make special food for each individual child, and takes such care of the ones who have certain needs or difficulties with textures or  flavours. Thanks to Daphne, all our children get fresh healthy food, made with loving care and attention to detail. And, every child can count on a special treat during the day - Daphne knows each of their favorites, and makes sure that they all get to be spoilt a little now and then!  

Here is Daphne's recipe for a healthy high protein breakfast for babies - no wonder our kids are growing so well.

Breakfast cereal
This can be eaten hot or cold, and can be pureed for young babies. It has lots of fibre and is nutritious. You can add milk or fruit before serving to taste even better.
Red Beans 1 cup

Green Beans 1 cup

 Sugar ¼ cup

 Rice 1 cup

Cold water 3 cups

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker on auto for 5 hours. Turn off cool and serve.

 We are thankful for Daphne's gifts and the way she uses them to love these children. She is a hero in our eyes!

Charm and determination

Our Little Swallow is growing up. She has done that incredible thing kids do when they go from 'baby" to "little girl" in the blink of an eye. We think she gets more beautiful every day.

She's getting smarter by the day too. She's already starting to string words together to make small sentences, and to use language in a purposeful way. Her personality is cheerful and relaxed, with a streak of stubborn when it suits her. It's a good thing, that stubborn streak. She will be able to draw on it as she works during her therapy sessions and learns the best way to use her legs. Actually, we are fairly certain that nothing will stop this little girl. Charm and determination are a pretty special combination , and she has them both. 

Swallow loved to play with Angel, and she is missing her since she went to be with her family. We can't wait until that day is here for Swallow too!

Hallo again Wei Wei

Last time we saw Wei Wei the hedgehog, he was supporting Annie's neck. Now he is snuggled up with Thomas and giving him some comfort. This little furry guy certainly pops up all over the Home! Thomas is a quiet boy. Without much sight or hearing, he is limited in the ways he can experience the world. But his sense of touch is still there, and WeiWei has a nice soft texture that he seems to appreciate.

 Life for Thomas is full of challenges, and for every step forward there seems to be a corresponding step back. Lately he has made some progress with eating, and can actually take some food from a spoon if his Ayi feeds him very slowly and carefully. On the other hand, his seizures have increased, and we need to adjust his medication to try and control these. Forward and back - it's a delicate dance. Sometimes it's just so hard - like running a race where you just can't get past the starting line. For every move in the right direction, something else happens to pull you back.

And then you look at his sweet soft cheek and realize that it's not about reaching a finish line. Every day with Thomas is an opportunity - a chance to saturate him with love, another precious day when we can wrap him in tenderness. We can't tell how many days we will get, and we can't predict the ups and downs of each day. But we can treasure each day and do everything possible to make Thomas comfortable and happy.  Suddenly that dance doesn't look so complicated anymore.

Finlay Update

We have had a few people asking about Finlay - the baby boy who came to us for palliative care because of his inoperable heart condition.

Well - after two operations, a whole lot of TLC, and a heap of support from all over the world, this little boy has a different life ahead of him. His blue lips are in the past, and he is gradually starting to realize that he can actually do things now. That sounds strange - but for all of Finlay's life, he has learnt not to try too hard. His little body has quite clearly shown him that it's better to sit quietly and concentrate on breathing. Reaching out or exerting himself has been so uncomfortable for him that he has learnt not to do it.

So now we are teaching Finlay that his limitations have been removed. He is tentatively beginning to stretch his boundaries - and finding out that this is fun! It's amazing to watch him learning to live a healthy life. We are making sure we find just the right balance between challenge and re-assurance for him - we need to encourage him to extend himself, but we want him to always feel safe. What a privilege to walk alongside the beautiful boy as he rediscovers the world and his own abilities! And thank you so much to all who helped support him and make this possible.

Right where she belongs!

Today sweet Angel is right where she belongs - in her mother's arms.

Early in the morning, we played Angel's favorite CDs to calm the atmosphere a little. Some babies were already at their physio appointments, and this made for a slightly quieter environment. It was a good thing to have a calming morning after yesterday's excitement. When it was time, Angel said goodbye to her little buddies at the Butterfly Home. They will always be part of her story, and we have made sure she has lots of pictures to take with her so that she never forgets these special relationships.

Daphne carried her down the corridor. I think the picture conveys better than words how hard this part of the day was.

But then came the joyful moments we have all been anticipating since she was matched with this beautiful family. Angel was well prepared, and she handled everything amazingly. Her family were so excited to finally be meeting the little girl they had loved since they first saw her precious face.

There were goodbye hugs for Jane, Angel's ayi, who accompanied her. Such a special, emotional, wonderful day. Angel - we are so proud of you. You will be deeply missed here, but we are incredibly happy to see you in your mothers arms. Know that where-ever you are - you will always have a cheer squad right here at Butterfly Home!

How do you farewell an Angel?

Why, with a party of course!!!!

It's time to farewell our precious Angel. Tomorrow  she will be meeting her wonderful family from the US. Together they will be spending a week or so in this province completing paperwork, and then heading to the Guangzhou for another week, before flying home to begin their new life together. Angel will have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents. She will have her own home, where she will know she is safe and loved forever. She will truly belong, and for that we are so, so happy.

But for today - it is our turn to show Angel just how much we love her too. She came here as a tiny baby - looking a lot like the saggy baggy elephant. Her skin was too big for her tiny body, and it hung from her in folds. How wonderful it was to watch her cheeks fill out and her little legs get positively chubby. Angel has grown and thrived, and we have all fallen head over heels for her big personality.

Before the party could begin, we had to wait for the guest of honour to wake up.

A change of clothes, and Angel was ready for the party. 

 The celebration started with a heartfelt blessing read by Lyn. Cake, biscuits and yummy fruit were served, to the delight of all the children.

 Everyone got a bit emotional watching the picture show. There were photos of Angel's first days with us, her birthday party and lots of lovely shots of her with her friends and ayis. There is no doubt that this little girl has been well loved.

Later Daphne gave Angel a special gift of a jade dragon bracelet, symbolizing protection and love. Daphne has always had a very special place in her heart for Angel. She is very happy to see her treasured little one adopted into a wonderful family, but of course her heart is breaking at this goodbye. Adoption is such a complicated fabric, woven of both love and loss - but  such beauty comes from the weaving when it is done tenderly and carefully.

 Finally Angel's bag is packed, ready for the morning. She has her own special blankets, some clothes and some of her familiar belongings. There is also her lifebook, the story of her life so far. Amongst its pages are 'love letters" from the people she has met along the way. Even the reporter from the CCTV news was captivated by Angel, and wrote her a letter for her lifebook.

Tomorrow morning, Angel's new life begins. We will miss you, sweet girl, but how happy we are to see you going to your family. What an incredible story you have already . We are thankful to have been a part of it, and we look forward to hearing about the next chapters. 

Novel use for a hedgehog.

We love this cute picture of Annie with her hedgehog. The toy is perfect for supporting her head in a comfy position. Annie does have a neck brace which she also uses, but she seems to prefer the hedgehog. He is super soft, so we guess he is just more comfortable than the neck brace. Jesse and Thomas like the feel of this hedgehog too. He is called WeiWei - Chinese for hedgehog - and was a gift from one of our sponsors. So thank you very much! It just goes to show - you can never be sure how we will use your gift at Butterfly Home. Thank goodness it's not a prickly hedgehog!

 

New nurses.

We are over-the-moon excited that our two new nurses have just had approval granted for their visas. That means that all the right paperwork is in place, and the time has come for them to pack their bags and begin an incredible adventure. We are really looking forward to welcoming these young women to the Butterfly Home team. Both nurses are from the Philippines, and this will be their first time in China. They each have experience nursing in their home country, and they speak great English.

 Having permanent qualified nurses on staff will be incredibly valuable. Our children will benefit from their expertise and our staff will benefit from their teaching.  We will be working together to establish good nursing standards as a firm foundation for employing and training local nurses in the future. Having consistent nursing personnel in the Home will also allow Lyn to step into the office more often, giving her more time for management and future planning.  So important in a growing organization.

We are thankful to South Coast Christian College in Australia - this school has generously sponsored our nurses. www.sccc.vic.edu.au
Thank you SCCC - without you, we would not be making this exciting announcement at this time. We are deeply grateful for your support.

Please keep Irish and Danice in your thoughts as they prepare to say goodbye to their families, and make the journey to join us. It is our hope that they will adjust quickly to their new environment, and find the work both exciting and rewarding. We are excited to share both the challenges and the joys of this work with them, and we hope they will be enriched by their time here.